Musical wind instrument octave mechanism



June 9, 1964 L. LEBLANC MUSICAL WIND INSTRUMENT OCTAVE MECHANISM Filed May 10, 1961 United States Patent 3,136,199 MUSICAL WIND INSTRUMENT OCTAVE MECHANISM Leon Leblanc, Paris, France, assignor to G. Leblanc Corporation, Kenosha, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed May 10, 1961, Ser. No. 109,064

' Claims. (Cl. 84-385) This invention relates generally to the musical arts, and more particularlyto an improved mechanism for producing the harmonics in wind instruments of the open tube or column type.

Various. wind musical instruments, such as the saxophone, oboe, flute,bassoon, etc., are of the type known as open tube instruments, as opposed to wind musical instruments of the closed tube type such as the clarinet.

In order to play the upper or chalumeau register of one' of these instruments, the saxophone, for example, there is provided a pair of octave or 'chalumeau openings respectively positioned near the upper portion of the body, and on the neck of the instrument.

It is; an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanism for controlling the operation of the chainmeau or octave holes of an open tube instrument such as a saxophone.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a mechanism insuring'proper closing of the octave or chalumeau holes.

It is another object of this operation to provide mechanism for insuring the alternate operation of the two octave or chalumeau holes.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following .description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein FIG. 1 is a partial side view of the upper body and neck of a saxophone with most of the holes and mechanisms thereof removed;

FIG. 2 is plan view of the back or underside of the instrument and the corresponding front portion of the mechanism in a developed view; and

FIG. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the mechanism in FIG. 2.

Referring first to FIG. 2, there will be seen a hinge rod pivoted between a pair of bearing posts 12 and 14. It will be understood that the rod may actually be a tube, but it is conventionally spoken of as a hinge rod. A second hinge rod 16 is pivotally mounted in axial alignment withthe hinge rod 10 on the post 14 and another post 18 spaced upwards on the instrument. The bearing post 12 is provided with a needle spring 20 cooperable with a spur or stud (not shown) on the 3,136,199 Patented June 9, 1964 end of the swivel 32 is relieved at 42 for engagement with a spur 44. The spur 44 is integral with a collar 46 fixed on the upper pivot rod 16. A laterally extending arm 48 is also fixed on the pivot rod 16, projecting in the opposite direction from the arms 22 and 28.

.As will be understood, the tone hole 26 is very nearly at the front of the saxophone, while the hinge rod 10 is substantially at the side thereof. Another hinge rod 50 is disposed relatively toward the back of the instrument, and is pivoted between posts 52 and 54. The hinge rod 50 is parallel to the hinge rods 10 and 16, and a laterally extending arm 56 thereon overlies the end of the arm '48. The spring 20 acts through the pivotrod 10, spur 38, swivel. 32, spur 44 and hinge rod 16 normally to maintain the arm 48 in raised position. This normally maintains the arm 56 also in raised position. A laterally extending arm 58 is secured on the hinge rod extending in substantially the opposite direction from the arm 56, and this arm 58 is normally held down. The parts with which this arm directly cooperates will be set forth hereinafter.

A spatual key 60 is disposed longitudinally of the saxophone along the backside thereof, being fixed on a hinge rod 62 pivoted between a pair of posts 63 and 65. The lower end or tail of the spatula 60 is provided with a finger piece or plateau 64 for engagement with the thumb. A thumb rest or elevator 66 is fixed on the body of the saxophone immediately adjacent the finger piece or plateau 64 of the spatula key 60, often referred to as an octave key. A flat spring 68 is fixed on the underside of the key 60 and bears against the body of the saxophone, normally to maintain the finger piece 64 in raised position away from the body of the instrument and substantially on a level with the thumb elevator 66.

The upper or front end of the spatula key 60 is provided with a portion '70 offset outwardly away from the upper portion of the saxophone body. A split post or clevis 72 is fixed on the tip of the offset end' portion 70, and projects back toward the body, having a pivot pin 74 carried transversely therein on which a rocker 76 is pivoted. The upper end or nose 78 of this rocker is provided with an overlie 80 of cork or the like, and the underside thereof manually abuts the upper body portion or neck piece receiver 82. The opposite or lower end of I the rocker 76-underlies theend of the arm 58, and normally is held down'thereby. A slotted head 84 is pivoted by a cross pin 86 in the lower end of the rocker 76, di-

' rectly underlying the arm 58, and'is formed with a key underside of the pivot rod or hinge rod 10. The spring 20 is shown somewhat schematically in conventional fashion. I, A laterally extending arm 22 on the hinge rod 10 carries a key cup and pad 24 for closing a tone hole 26, specifically the G tone hole.- The spring 20 biases the hinge rod 10 to such position as normally to hold the pad 24 off the tone hole 26. An arm 28 is fixed on the pivot rod '10 upwards of the arm 22, and carries a finger piece 30 at the outer end. The finger piece" 30 is engaged by the'ring finger of the left hand for pivotcup 88. carrying a pad 90 closing on a chalurneau or ocdiately overlyingthe upper end or nose 78 of the rocker ing of the hinge rod 10 against the action of the spring,

whereby to close the pad on the G tone'hole 26.

A swivel 32 is pivotally mounted on a pin 34 extending up from the body of the saxophone beneath the upper hinge rod 16. The lower end of the swivel is hooklike in configuration as shown at 36 to extendaround the post 14 into position for engagement by aspur 38 having a collar 40 integral therewith by means of which it is' fixed on the upper end of the hinge rod 10 extending in toward the body of the saxophone. The upper I 76. The upper end ortip of the arm or key 96 is pro- 'vided, with a; key cup 102 having a pad 104- for closing .the upperoctave orchalumeau hole 106. A blade or leaf spring 108 is fixed on the underside of the key 96 and bears against the upper portion of the'neck 94, whereby normally to hold the key 96 toward the neck with the pad 104 in hole closing position against the hole 106.

'The relationship of the parts described is such that when the finger piece 30 alone is depressed, the cup and pad 24 close against the hole 26, the spur 38 simply moving awayfrom theend of the swivel32. (It will be understood that when reference is made to depressing only the finger piece 30, that this completely ignores whatever may be done with the index and second fingers of the left hand, relative to keys and finger pieces spaced above the finger piece 30, since they do not affect the action of the parts herein described). The remaining parts described remain in their normal position.

n the other hand, when the finger piece 64 of the spatula key 60 is depressed alone, the pivot 74 of the rocker 76 is raised. The effective force of the spring is greater than that of the spring N8, and consequently the lower end of the rocker 76 is held down by the arm 58. The upper end of the rocker raises, carrying with it the bight of the bale ltitl, thereby raising the pad 104 from the upper octave or chalumeau hole 1%. The pivot or swivel mounting of the pad for the lower chalumean or octave hole 92 is most important at this point, as it maintains the pad flat in hole closing position, even though the rocker 76 changes its angular position relative to the body of the saxophone.

If both the finger piece 64 of the spatula key at and the finger piece 39 are depressed at the same time, the pivot '74- of the rocker is raised away from the body, and the arm 58 is freed from restraint by the spring 2%. The spring 108 holds the key 96 down in hole closing position, and the bight of the bale 1% presses against the upper end or nose 7% of the rocker '76. Accordingly, the lower end or tail of the rocker rises, lifting the pad 90 from the lower chalumeau or octave hole 92 The keys and finger pieces played by the first two fingers of the left hand have no etiect on the mechanism described. Hence, when these fingers are utilized, playing in'the upper or chalumeau register, with the finger piece 64 depressed by the thumb, the upper chalumeau or octave hole 106 is open, As soon as the ring finger engages and depresses the finger piece 30, the mechanism described effects automatic shifting from the upper chalumean hole 106 to the lower chalurneau hole 92. Con versely, the octave or chalumeau holes automatically switch or reverse when the ring finger is lifted from the finger piece 39. As will now be apparent, there has been disclosed an improved chalumeau or octave mechanism for saxophones and other open tube and wind musical instruments which is of simple and effective construction, and in particular which automatically shifts between the two chalumeau or octave holes as other notes are played, without requiring any additional manipulation or' conscious effort on the part of the musician.'

The specific example of the invention as herein shown and described is for illustrative purposes only. Various modifications will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art, and will be understood as forming a part of this invention insofar as they fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. An open tube musical wind instrument such as a saxophone comprising a body having an octave hole near the upper end and on the back side thereof, a neck extending from the upper end of said body and having an 7 octave hole therein, a key pivotally mounted on said neck and having a pad operative to close the neck octave hole,

spring meansacting on said key and normally holding I said pad in hole closing position, an'extension on said key adjacent said body, a spatula extending longitudinally of said body and mounted on said body in alignment with the body octave hole for pivoting about an axis transverse of said body, a rocker extending longitudinally of said body and pivotally carried by said spatula at the end thereof in substantial parallelism therewith and between said spatula and said body, a hole closing pad at oneend of said rocker overlying the body octave hole and operative to close such hole, the opposite end of said rocker being adjacent and engageable with said neck key extension for moving said extension, spring means acting on said spatula and holding said spatula with said end thereof biased toward said body and said rocker pad'normally in hole closing position, a lever pivotally mounted on said body engageable with the pad end of the rocker and tending to hold said rocker pad in hole closing position, means for pivoting said lever independently of operation of said spatula to free said rocker pad thereof, said rocker pad remaining in hole closing position, said lever holding said rocker pad in hole closing position upon independent pivoting of said spatula whereby the opposite end of the rocker rises and acts through said neck key extension to open said neck octave hole, simultaneous pivoting of said lever and said spatula raising the'rocker pad to open the body octave hole and the neck key spring means holding the neck key pad in hole closing position.

2. An open tube musical wind instrument such as a saxophone comprising a body having an octave hole near the upper end and on the back side thereof, a neck extending from the upper end of said body and having an octave hole thereon, a key pivotally mounted on said neck and having a pad operative to close the neck octave hole, spring means acting on said key and normally holding said pad in hole closing position, an extension on said key adjacent said body, a spatula extending longitudinally of said body and mounted on said body in alignment with the body octave hole for pivoting about an axis transverse of said body, a hole closing pad for said body octave hole, a rocker extending longitudinally of said body and pivotally carried by said spatula at the end thereof in substantial parallelism therewith and between said spatula and said body, means pivotally mounting said body octave hole closing pad at one end of said rocker, the opposite end of said rocker being adjacent and engageable with said neck key extension for moving said extension, spring means acting on said spatula and holding said spatula with said end thereof biased toward said body and said body octave hole closing pad normally in hole closing position, a lever pivotally mounted on said body and operatively engageable with the end of the rocker pivotally carrying the octave hole closing pad thereon, said lever tending to hold said octave hole closing pad in closing position, means for pivoting said lever independently of operation of said spatula away from tendency to hold said octave hole closing pad in hole closing position, said octave hole closing pad remaining in hole closing position under the influence of the spatula key spring means, said lever holding said octave pad in hole closing position upon independent pivoting of said spatula whereby the opposite end of the rocker rises and acts through said neck key extension to open said neck octave hole, simultaneous pivoting of said lever and said spatula raising the octave paid from the body octave hole and the neck key spring means holding the neck key pad in hole closing position.

3. An open tube musical instrument such as a saxophone comprising a body having an octave hole near the upper end and on the back side thereof, a neck extending from the upper end of said body and having an octave hole therein, a key pivotally mounted on said neck and having a pad operative to close the neck octave hole, spring means acting on said key and normally holding said pad invhole closingposition, an extension on said key adjacent said body, a spatula extending longitudinally of said body and mounted on said body in alignment with the body octave hole for pivoting about an axis transverse of said body, a rocker extending longitudinally of said body and pivotally carried by said spatula at' the end thereof and between said spatula in substantial parallelism therewith and said body, a hole closing pad at one end of said rocker overlying the body octave hole and operative to close such hole, the opposite end of said rocker being adjacent and engageable with said neck key extension for moving said extension and normally being biased by the neck spring means, spring means acting on said spatula and normally holding said spatula with said end thereof biased toward said body and said rocker pad normally in hole closing position, a longitudinal hinge rod displaced laterally. of said spatula, a lever mounted on said hinge rod and overlying the pad. end of the rocker pl a") beneath the spatula key, a second lever on said longitudinal hinge rod extending generally in the opposite direction from the first lever thereon, a second longitudinal hinge rod pivotally mounted on said body beyond the first mentioned longitudinal hinge rod from said spatula, a lever on said second longitudinal hinge rod extending toward and underlying the second lever on the first men tioned hinge rod, biasing spring means acting on said second hinge rod and acting through the lever thereon and the levers on the first mentioned hinge rod to hold the rocker pad in hole closing position, means for freeing the second hinge rod from the biasing spring means acting thereon whereby to free said rocker pad of the influence thereof, said rocker pad remaining in hole closing position under the influence of the spatula spring means, said first mentioned lever holding said rocker pad in hole closing position upon independent pivoting of said spatula against the spring means acting thereon whereby the opposite end of the rocker rises and acts through said neck key extension to open said neck octave hole, simultaneous pivoting of said spatula and overcoming of the influence of the spring means acting on the second longitudinal hinge rod effecting raising of the rocker pad to open the body octave hole, the neck key spring means holding the neck key pad in hole closing position.

4. A musical wind instrument as set forth in claim 3 and further including a third longitudinal hinge rod aligned with and pivotable independently of the second hinge rod, the spring means acting on the second longitudinal hinge rod comprising a spring bearing on the third longitudinal hinge rod, and interconnection between the second and third longitudinal hinge rod, the means for freeing the second hinge rod of the influence of the biasing spring means acting thereon comprising means for pivoting the third longitudinal hinge rod against the References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,033,774 Loomis Mar. 10, 1936 2,083,048 Bryant June 8, 1937 2,133,624 Loomis 'Oct. 18, 1938 2,846,917 Lefevre-Selmer Aug. 12, 1958 

1. AN OPEN TUBE MUSICAL WIND INSTRUMENT SUCH AS A SAXOPHONE COMPRISING A BODY HAVING AN OCTAVE HOLE NEAR THE UPPER END AND ON THE BACK SIDE THEREOF, A NECK EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER END OF SAID BODY AND HAVING AN OCTAVE HOLE THEREIN, A KEY PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID NECK AND HAVING A PAD OPERATIVE TO CLOSE THE NECK OCTAVE HOLE, SPRING MEANS ACTING ON SAID KEY AND NORMALLY HOLDING SAID PAD IN HOLE CLOSING POSITION, AN EXTENSION ON SAID KEY ADJACENT SAID BODY, A SPATULA EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BODY AND MOUNTED ON SAID BODY IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE BODY OCTAVE HOLE FOR PIVOTING ABOUT AN AXIS TRANSVERSE OF SAID BODY, A ROCKER EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF SAID BODY AND PIVOTALLY CARRIED BY SAID SPATULA AT THE END THEREOF IN SUBSTANTIAL PARALLELISM THEREWITH AND BETWEEN SAID SPATULA AND SAID BODY, A HOLE CLOSING PAD AT ONE END OF SAID ROCKER OVERLYING THE BODY OCTAVE HOLE AND OPERATIVE TO CLOSE SUCH HOLE, THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID ROCKER BEING ADJACENT AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID NECK KEY EXTENSION FOR MOVING SAID EXTENSION, SPRING MEANS ACTING ON SAID SPATULA AND HOLDING SAID SPATULA WITH SAID END THEREOF BIASED TOWARD SAID BODY AND SAID ROCKER PAD NOR- 